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AliExpress & eBay Bargains #2

sobota, januar 14, 2017

This is my third such post, though the first one concentrated only on eBay deals, but I have since almost completely switched to AliExpress simply because they have better prices and I prefer the organisation of the website. You can organise the products by number of orders and they have actual reviews of buyers, some also include pictures, so you have a better idea what you're buying. I have to say I haven't had a massive miss yet and I found some great products, in fact I'm loving it more and more. You can find the other two posts here and here.

This is so ridiculously cheap I had a hard time believing it's any good, but most reviews said it's very decent and they were right. I got the version with two attachments, one is a smartphone holder and one a go camera adapter, the latter I don't need, but the smartphone holder works well and holds it in place tight. The original attachment is a simple plastic screw with a base that swivels and you lock it in place with grip, which again can hold tight. The legs are very flexible and have rubberised tips, the flexibility is so great I can wrap it around a window door handle, while the ad pictures showed it being wrapped around branches and poles. Pretty clever if you ask me. It holds the smartphone with no problems and is very stable, but with a heavier camera (mine has 357 g) I need to be more careful how I position the legs, otherwise it can tip over. Good buy.

So you know how I'm cheap right, but I happen to like pretty things? Well, I really love how PaperBlanks look, I'm just not they type of person to pay 20-30 € for a notebook, so I thought of AliExpress and lo and behold, there was a good looking dupe. Ideally it would be blue, but they only have purple, red, green and yellow amber. It is so good, seriously, it looks so expensive. I love the pattern, it's of course not a relief, though when you touch it has some small dots that make it feel a bit textured. The pages are good quality, made for thick paper and the pattern is better than in PaperBlanks. I bought the first one for 5 €, but it never arrived (it was refunded), so I had to shell out 11 € at the other seller, but it arrived in 10 days from China in Christmas time (impressive) and it was really well packed.

I was in a serious need for stationery and AliExpress has a ton of really cheap notebooks that are also super cute. The Superman, galaxy and bunny notebooks are thin booklets with not many pages, but they are great for slipping into pockets and purses. They have several versions for all, the superheros both from Marvel and DC, I chose Superman myself because it's my favourite, while the night sky and bunny ones were random picks. The memo pad was also chosen at random and was so hoping for a moustache one, but just my luck that I get the one without. But I actually really like the notepad because it's very handy and small. These exist in a lot of patterns, not just men style versions.

These turned out even cuter than I thought and the glue is actually better than on cheap sticky notes we have in Tedi here, but like most notes it doesn't hold terribly long. The drop ones are available in four versions, while the other ones exist in Moongs (sheep) and Panda version. The latter are slightly bigger than the drop ones, but equally good, though the glue is less sticky. I ordered more of drop ones.

I wanted these for at least a couple of years and I now feel stupid for not just buying them before because they are so cheap and good. Obviously these aren't Pilot or some other fancy brand, so it's not the most amazing quality, but they are still great. You get 10 different colours, each is stated on the cap, so you know what you're grabbing, though it's a very obvious system - green is green, pink is pink /though one is violet), the one with the red hearts is red and so on. When they are new they need to be held at almost 90° angle otherwise the ink doesn't run smoothly, but the more you use them the more the tip get saturated with ink. These only fail at very fast writing occasionally, but otherwise they are lovely and I use them all the time. These come in different versions including a galaxy print.

I saw this first on someone's Instagram, but I had no idea it was from AliExpress because frankly it looked way too good. This looks expensive in person and yes, I know it's a roll of sticky tape, but such tapes run for 5 € here in Slovenia which there's no way I'm paying. Like a majority of washis it doesn't hold amazingly well, these are more meant for decoration, but interestingly my washis from eBay and AliExpress are better quality than those I bought in local shops (I mean DM). On the first picture I saw this, the base colour looked navy blue (one of my faves) and I was a bit bummed it's actually almost black in real life, but it still looks so good.

Omg I adore this brush! I've become a big fan of oval brushes and I wanted to share my discovery with my friends, so I ordered a few cheap ones for Christmas, but I ended up keeping one for myself. These are so incredibly soft, but also not too dense, so they feel absolutely amazing to the touch and they blend foundation so fast and so seamlessly - I'm in love. The rose gold handles don't look perfect and I don't suppose they'll stay intact for long, but at least the rubber grip is super handy. I really recommend these, they're only 3 bucks, but man they are so good. The only complaint I heard is that it's hard to reach the inner corners of the eyes well, so some may need something else to blend for that area, but I have no problems like that.

I think no one would believe me if I said it cost 11 € (actually no one did when I showed it in person) because this bag looks seriously well-made and actually these are sold for much more, it depends on the seller, so be vary of that because prices go up to 80$. It's a hard bag that's why I bought it and it completely survived its travel from China (you get a balloon inside). Though it's small, it easily fits a phone, actually several phones that can lie on the floor of the bag (it's Samsung S5 on the picture), but bigger wallets won't fit through the opening. I use the bag for storing my mirrorless camera Olympus and it's a perfect fit, You see, Olympus sells a very pretty bag for storing their mirrorless cameras, but I just started laughing when I saw their ridiculous 80 € price tag - like I'm stupid enough to spend that much on a bag. So I bought a similar one online and to protect the camera more, added the foam that comes in Colourpop packages. Works just fine and anyway, it's not like I travel a lot. It's got a bit of that classic new cheap hand bag smell for a day, but nothing terrible. The chain looks great as well, but none of these chains are comfortable. I needed some tries to figure out the opening mechanism (the right knob slips to the right), but it holds great. It also has a good zipper for extra security. I'm 1.6 m and it sits at my hip when worn across the shoulder, on my taller cousin it already looked a bit strange and strange to wear across the shoulders. Really recommend this if you're looking for an expensive looking bag on the budget and it comes in many colours.

I just love Ancient Greek/Rome style dresses and I had this one pinned in many versions, one from Asos for 70 € I think, so once I decided to check if AliExpress has something similar and I found the exact same dress. It's just like in the pictures, only the material isn't quite as flowy. It's one of those that crinkles a lot, but that's what I expected. It's got two layers, a sheer and an opaque one, so it's not at all see through and the colour is spot on too, a nice muted navy. It's not stretchy, but it has a zipper and it also it padded on the top. The description and reviewers said to go two sizes up, but S is a bit loose on my XXS/EU32/UK2-4/US0-2 frame, however, length is perfect for my petite size. I'd say it's an EU34/XS and fits heights 155-165cm. Apart from the shoddy lining on the bottom, which isn't even that visible on a dark material, it's a beautiful dress that maybe could pass for special occasions if you're not surrounded by snotty people, but the cleavage is very revealing and the material can look very wrinkled. It looks to me like it needs to be washed by hand. I have pictures of me wearing it, but the cleavage is too big for me to post it here.

I realised I have absolutely nothing in this colour and actually it's almost impossible to get in shops at the moment unless you're five and it's not like I love this colour, but why not have some variety in the wardrobe, right? I bought scarfs before on eBay and they tend to be very good, so this is no exception. It's soft, there was no strange scent and it looks well made. The colour is accurate based on the pictures.

I was concerned this will look terrible because all the picture reviews on AliExpress were bad quality, but it looks cute and it has a vintage feel to it. It's quite heavy and the back has a hollow hearts design, which is like a separate pendant, meaning you get two necklaces in one. I can so see this being sold for 9.99 € in Europe by sellers who love ripping people off.

This is the type of necklace I'd love to have the real deal of, but for now this dollar one will have to suffice. It's completely my style and the type I wear all the time. It's a dainty necklace with a long, tube type of pendant which moves on the chain. The closing mechanism works fine and you get enough for additional length to customise where it falls around your neck. I expect this to turn dark soon, but I can't complain for the price.

I showed you one of these in my last eBay Bargains, but that one was a gift for someone and because I loved it so much, I needed to get one for myself as well. I picked the one with a light pink bow, but rose pink one exists as well. It's a one size fits all type of headband and it's soft, so quite comfortable. The backside of the bow on this one is white unlike at the one I bought last time and its made from a foam material (but covered with satin).